darknovel Chapter 13: The Little White Dragon of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge
Chapter 13: The Little White Dragon of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge
Eagle's Sorrow Gorge is a place of rushing water and biting cold.
Sun Wukong rode his somersault cloud, carrying Chen Fan and Chen Xuanzang to a safe landing.
"This is it." Chen Fan pointed to the bottomless ravine. "The little white dragon is hiding at the bottom of this water."
Sun Wukong peeked out and scratched his cheek impatiently.
"This water's pitch black, I'll just go down and drag him out!"
He was about to jump into the water when he said that.
"Great Sage, don't be in such a hurry!" Chen Fan quickly stopped him. "Since we're already here, we should at least test our own abilities first."
As Chen Fan spoke, he took two steps forward and called out loudly to the water, "Friends underwater, we are passing by and are very thirsty. We would like to ask for a drink of water. Would you be so kind as to grant us this request?"
Chen Xuanzang stood aside, watching Chen Fan with a sense of curiosity. What scheme was this Taoist priest planning this time?
After waiting for a long time, there was still no movement underwater.
Sun Wukong curled his lip: "See? This guy doesn't know what's good for him. I, Old Sun, still have to..."
He hadn't finished speaking.
"Splash!"
With a loud bang, the calm water surface suddenly exploded, and a white figure burst out of the water, baring its fangs and claws as it pounced on the three people on the shore!
It was a giant dragon, entirely silver-white, with jagged horns and scales that gleamed with a cold light, exuding a fierce aura of a water demon.
"How dare you disturb my peaceful cultivation! I'll just have you to fill my belly!"
The white dragon spoke in human language, its claws like hooks, and went straight for Chen Fan at the front.
Chen Xuanzang was so frightened that he took two steps back, his face turning pale.
Just as Sun Wukong was about to grab the staff, Chen Fan stopped him with a look.
"Great Sage, let me lead the charge."
Instead of retreating, Chen Fan advanced. Facing the enormous dragon claw, he took a deep breath and frantically circulated the magical power of the Earth Immortal Scroll of the Eight-Nine Mystic Arts within his body.
"Well done!"
He shouted loudly, neither dodging nor avoiding, and threw out a punch as well!
Although the fist was small, the golden magic power attached to it carried a force capable of shaking mountains.
"Bang!"
Their fists and claws clashed, producing a dull, loud thud.
The violent shockwave spread outwards, causing Chen Xuanzang's robes to flutter wildly.
Chen Fan swayed and took three steps back, each step leaving a deep footprint in the hard ground.
The white dragon in the air was also sent flying back by the force of the punch, falling back into the water and stirring up huge waves.
"What an incredibly strong physical body!"
Chen Fan shook his slightly numb fist, and got a rough idea of his own strength.
Although this little white dragon had been stripped of its immortal status, the dragon race's physical body was inherently powerful, and it possessed the cultivation of a peak True Immortal, making its strength not to be underestimated.
I've only just entered the Earth Immortal realm, yet I was able to fight him head-on without being at a disadvantage. The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts is indeed powerful!
"roar!"
An angry dragon's roar came from underwater.
Bai Long clearly hadn't expected that this seemingly unremarkable little Taoist priest would possess such strength.
He burst out of the water again, this time not in his original form, but transformed into a handsome young man wearing silver armor and wielding a long spear, though his brows carried an inescapable air of ferocity.
"Who are you? How dare you be an enemy of my Western Sea Dragon Clan?" Prince Ao Lie of the White Dragon Clan asked coldly.
"Huaguo Mountain, Chen Fan." Chen Fan announced his name, "We're not here to be enemies, but to show you the right path."
"The right path? I, the Crown Prince, need no guidance from you!"
Ao Lie flicked his spear, and it shot out like a dragon, creating bursts of water vapor as it aimed straight at Chen Fan's face.
A flash of light appeared in Chen Fan's hand, and the replica of the Sea-Stabilizing Needle Iron appeared in his hand.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The sounds of clashing weapons were incessant.
The two fought back and forth by the Eagle's Sorrow Stream.
Gunshots flashed, and the wind howled through the air.
One was the Dragon Prince of the West Sea, whose spear skills were exquisite, imbued with the power of water, each strike as heavy as a mountain.
One is a true successor of the Xuanmen sect, with domineering skills and powerful, sweeping staff techniques, capable of overwhelming all opponents with sheer force.
The two fought for more than thirty rounds in the blink of an eye, and were evenly matched, with neither able to gain the upper hand.
Sun Wukong watched from the side, scratching his head and jumping up and down in frustration.
"Ugh! So slow! So slow!"
He couldn't stand it any longer and shouted, "Brother, get out of the way! Watch me, Old Sun!"
Before he finished speaking, he somersaulted into the battle.
Ao Lie was fiercely fighting Chen Fan when he suddenly felt an overwhelming demonic aura pressing down from the side.
He was terrified. Before he could react, he saw a golden iron rod rapidly enlarging in front of him.
"You impudent monkey!"
Ao Lie only had time to let out a cry of surprise before raising his gun to block.
"when!"
A deafening roar.
Ao Lie felt an irresistible force coming from the spear, his hand instantly split open, and the spear flew out of his grasp.
The iron rod, still carrying considerable force, slammed heavily into his chest.
"puff!"
Ao Lie spat out a mouthful of dragon blood, and his whole body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the opposite mountain wall, creating a huge human-shaped hole.
Sun Wukong landed on the ground, carrying his golden cudgel, blew on it, and looked disdainful.
"What kind of West Sea Dragon Prince is he? He's so weak, so easily defeated!"
Chen Fan put away the iron bar and shook his head helplessly.
After emerging from under the Five Finger Mountain, the Great Sage's strength had recovered to about 70-80%.
He walked to the mountain wall and looked at Ao Lie, who was struggling to climb out of the rubble.
At this moment, Ao Lie's silver armor was shattered, blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth, and his face was filled with horror and fear.
He stared intently at Sun Wukong, pointing at him with trembling fingers.
"You...you are...the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago?!"
"Hehe, you do have some discernment." Sun Wukong grinned, carrying his staff.
Upon hearing this, Ao Lie was so frightened that his legs went weak.
Finished!
How did this evil spirit escape from under the Five Fingers Mountain?! It doesn't match the time Guanyin Bodhisattva spoke of!
"Great Sage, spare me! This lowly dragon was blind and did not recognize you, Great Sage. I have been very offensive and beg your forgiveness!"
Chen Fan stepped forward and helped him up.
"Crown Prince Ao Lie, we are not here to kill you."
"We've come here to invite you to join us in planning something big."
Ao Lie was taken aback, looked up, and stared at Chen Fan in confusion.
"Join? Join what group?"
"Enter my Flower Fruit Mountain," Chen Fan said. "I know you are here because you received a decree from Guanyin to wait for the pilgrim to the Western Paradise and serve as his porters."
"But you, the third prince of the West Sea Dragon King, with all your abilities, are you truly content to transform into an ordinary horse and carry a mortal for 108,000 li?"
Upon hearing this, Ao Lie's face turned pale, and he fell silent.
Are you willing to accept this?
How could he possibly accept this!
Ao Lie, in the Western Sea, was a man of high status, surrounded by attendants.
Because of a moment of impulse, he burned the bright pearl in the palace, and was reported to the Heavenly Court by his own father and sentenced to death.
If it weren't for Guanyin Bodhisattva intervening, he would have been sent to the Dragon-Slaying Platform long ago!
The price for avoiding the death penalty is to wait bitterly in Eagle's Sorrow Gorge for five hundred years, and then serve as a slave to a monk he has never met before, in order to atone for his sins.
What a humiliation this was for him!
"I...I had no choice," Ao Lie said bitterly. "If I don't comply, not only me, but my entire West Sea Dragon Clan will be implicated."
"The Buddhist sect is too powerful; I cannot afford to offend them."
He looked at Sun Wukong with fear in his eyes.
"Great Sage, you are all-powerful and naturally have nothing to fear from them. But Little Dragon... Little Dragon is just a criminal."
"What nonsense about being a criminal!" Sun Wukong roared. "Your father doesn't love you, the Heavenly Court wants to kill you, and that old hag Guanyin treats you like an animal! And you're still thinking about them?"
"Is your brain a dragon's brain or a pig's brain?"
Chen Fan patted Sun Wukong, signaling him to calm down.
He looked at Ao Lie and spoke slowly.
"Ao Lie, do you think you have a choice right now?"
"Do you think that if you obediently serve as a horse for the pilgrims on their journey to the West, they will restore your official position and let you revive the glory of the dragon race?"
Stop dreaming!
Chen Fan's voice wasn't loud, but every word was piercing.
"They'll just give you some empty title like 'Eight Heavenly Dragons and Vast Power Bodhisattva,' which sounds impressive, but in reality, you're just a gatekeeper!"
"All your cultivation, all your pride as a dragon, is worth only a gatekeeper position?"
"Why did your father sue you? Because you violated the Heavenly Laws, and to protect the Western Sea, he had no choice but to sacrifice you. He is demonstrating his loyalty to the Heavenly Court and Buddhism!"
"Why did Guanyin save you? Because she needed someone to carry you on the journey to the West, and you were just the right person. To her, you were merely a useful pawn, a tool!"
"From beginning to end, they never treated you like a living, breathing dragon!"
Ao Lie trembled all over upon hearing this, his face as pale as paper.
Chen Fan's words were like a knife, cutting open the pitiful illusions deep in his heart, leaving them bleeding profusely.
"And what about you?" Ao Lie raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Chen Fan. "Why did you come to me? Aren't you just trying to use me?"
"Yes, I want to use you," Chen Fan admitted frankly.
"I want your naval combat skills, I want your dragon identity."
"But!" Chen Fan changed the subject, "What my Flower Fruit Mountain lacks is a 'Grand Admiral of the Navy' to command thousands of aquatic creatures, not a horse that can only carry people!"
"What I'm giving you is the status of a brother who fights alongside you, not a slave to be driven around!"
"If you join us, once we overthrow all these gods and Buddhas, your West Sea Dragon Palace will become the Lord of the East Sea! You, Ao Lie, will become the head of the Four Seas Dragon Kings!"
"I have shown you the way."
Chen Fan extended his hand.
"Is it to continue in this dark and sunless ravine, waiting to be a beast that no one knows how long it will be ridden?"
"Stay with us, be an upright dragon, and fight for a future that truly belongs to you!"
"You choose!"
silence.
At the edge of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, only the howling wind could be heard.
Ao Lie looked at Chen Fan's outstretched hand, then glanced at Sun Wukong beside him, who was carrying a staff and looked impatient but hadn't said anything.
Finally, he glanced at the cold, dark stream behind him.
He has been in this dark and sunless place for almost five hundred years.
He'd had enough!
He suddenly raised his head, his hesitation and fear replaced by a crazy determination.
He knelt on one knee and bowed deeply to Chen Fan and Sun Wukong.
"Ao Lie of the Western Sea is willing to follow the Great Sage and Mr. Chen!"
"From this day forward, I will obey any command, even unto death!"
[Ding! The key figure in Journey to the West, the White Dragon Horse (Ao Lie), has undergone a change of heart and joined the protagonist's camp, seriously disrupting the karmic chain of the Journey to the West. Reward: 5000 Journey Points!]
[Current pilgrimage points: 13000.]
Chen Fan's lips finally curled into a smile.
Become!